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Hi folks. Experienced day-hiker here. I've done as far as 18-miles round trip in a single day in the well-maintained trails of Orange County-- Bridge to Nowhere, Holy Jim Falls, Black Star Canyon, Top of the World, etc... My girlfriend and I did the Inca Trail over Christmas. It was with guides and porters obviously, but the trip made us want to hike more. We are really interested in taking the next step. I would like to find more backcountry terrain to challenge and then ideally do an overnight to build towards doing weekend trips. What is the recommended next step to take in the general LA/OC area, and is there a resource I can use to help find these more difficult, less established trails? All the info I use is typically scattered across multiple websites and difficult to use. Edit: Reading more of this thread, I am happy that you did not die Rime Blinkman987 fucked around with this message at 07:12 on Apr 20, 2015 |
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Apr 20, 2015 05:02
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Thanks HarryPurvis. Those sites are great, though the Topo site is probably a little beyond what I can understand at the moment. I understand what a topo map is and how to read it. It's just a little overwhelming with all the options and nomenclature. Here are two simple things I came across that Rime's post reminded me of. This Christmas, we were high in the mountains and it was pretty rainy. I had a synthetic base layer, down midlayer, and threw on my hard shell once the rain came down. I vented it out as best I could, but we were in the clouds and it was just damp in general. We went on our hike and by the time the sun broke out, I was soaked on the inside. I checked the goretex when I got home and it wasn't leaking, and I'll probably do a DWR on the shell on it just to make sure. But, the midlayer-- was down the wrong choice there? What can I do differently next time? I have a down sleeping bag. The compression sack it came with probably isn't waterproof. I assume the sack should be waterproof. But, will that affect its ability to breathe and dry out during the day if it's a little moist in the morning? Thanks again to everyone who helps me out in this thread as I try to learn more about this hobby. I'm a pretty organized, system-oriented person so I just want to know everything. If there are guides/books online or in print that I should read, I'd love recommendations.
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Apr 20, 2015 22:45
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evil_bunnY posted:Down is almost useless once wet. It still shouldn't get compromised by ambient moisture tho. It was probably the activity. It was a light down sweater type jacket, and it was fine each day until I had to slap on the shell. Luckily, the clouds broke around 8 AM and it was a really hot, sunny day. Everything dried out in like an hour. Verman posted:I purchased a separate dry bag for my down sleeping bag. Most included compression bags just make the bag smaller without adding any protection. Also if you run a garbage disposal bag inside your pack you should be able to keep everything inside perfectly dry no matter the conditions. I figured on the compression sack. Thanks. As for the garbage disposal bag, basically you use that as lining in the main compartment? I've used garbage bags as DIY rain covers for my pack before. I have plenty of wool stuff (This Smartwool full zip is the heaviest one I have), but I lack a solid synthetic layer. The few fleeces I've also tried come up a little short in the torso and arms. There are so many options. Information paralysis. Any North Face recommendations? I have a big gift card from them due to a warranty replacement, but I haven't found anything to spend it on since everything seems so "meh" from them. I do have a decent softshell in the Marmot Sharp Point. That thing was a gazillion dollars even on clearance back in 2007, but it's really nice and still holds up. I'm lucky in that much of my clothing that was great for lightweight travel around the globe is also great for hiking and backpacking Blinkman987 fucked around with this message at 23:57 on Apr 20, 2015 |
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Apr 20, 2015 23:47
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Verman posted:One of my buddies got defensive when I told him to stop feeding a chipmunk that wouldn't leave us alone in camp. I think most people assume that since their actions are non malicious in nature that they carry no consequences. Its not like they're starting a camp fire with the intent of burning down the whole forest. Therefore they don't even consider further less-obvious consequences which definitely exist. In my general experience, people just have no clue how scale works. Or rate. Or probability. Or anything that involves thinking outside of that moment. Your friend just can't comprehend what happens if every person feeds that squirrel because he isn't there to see it all. It's not real to him. People have no idea that even a 0.3% chance of causing a dangerous fire would mean that it happened, on average, more than once per year if that action was taking nightly. I have no idea how to also teach people about these concepts because they don't seem to come naturally to people and they don't really want to learn.
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Apr 21, 2015 19:57
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BaseballPCHiker posted:I've read various pieces that claim something like %90 of the crowds visit %10 of the trails. I'm all for expanding access to trails and wilderness areas because I think an increase in their popularity will help protect them more long term by creating advocates for parks and wilderness. But I also dont want to see more trail construction. Let it get as popular as ever but I don't want to see a paved trail through Denali. Give the people who really love it and are physically capable the chance to get out and get lost. I admit I'm ignorant of backpacking in general, but organizations like the National Parks could just work with mass media in order to sell people on different adventures, trails. That's basically what everybody else did for decades. Book/Movie character goes on and on about how he's sick of Blinkman987 fucked around with this message at 02:41 on Apr 22, 2015 |
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Apr 22, 2015 02:11
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For the person who asked about Steep and Cheap: They have some Patagonia stuff up now. As usual, random sizing. https://www.steepandcheap.com/gear-cache/shop-patagonia The quality of the discount is hit or miss, and you really have to order multiple items from them to make the shipping cost worth it since the first item is like $7, each additional item $1. FWIW, I live in CA and I don't remember them ever charging me sales tax. Make sure you know exactly what you want. I used them for snowboarding goggles and was new to it, so I got hit on shipping both ways. I find they have enough of the really good stuff that I check in randomly and hope to get lucky, but that the savings aren't that much more than Sierra Trading Post w/ coupon or other online sales in the first place. Edit: Speaking of Ghost Whisperer, that jacket has a weird cut on me as it really comes out wide at the bottom and also cost me shipping back on it. I guess the ~$5 return shipping is probably worth less to me than driving during rush hour to REI to actually try it on, but still annoying. Blinkman987 fucked around with this message at 01:39 on Apr 23, 2015 |
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Apr 22, 2015 23:49
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Sierra Nevadan posted:Is there any real difference between Marmot Jackets and North Face Jackets. Marmot PreCip is the gold standard for relatively cheap rain jacket. North Face stuff is pretty much "fine." The one thing they make that critics, reviewers seem to like is the Thermoball stuff that you can find on clearance at times for as low as $100-$130. On the other end, the Denali fleece jacket-- probably the most popular brand name fleece jacket in the world-- is the worst reviewed jacket in that class over on OutdoorGearLab. College students fail to both pick their school or their fall jackets based on value per dollar (aside from the social signaling the brand name provides). I approached my evaluation of gear from the viewpoint of a traveler who wanted to pack light and efficient, but for the most part all those brand names are in the same range of quality with some specific pieces of gear within brands doing things measurably better than others. For me, fit was the most important thing which is dependent on the individual item, not really the brand. Speleothing has it right that if you're super rich, you would just buy the higher end brands. It's like, some people buy the top video card, and other people buy the third best video card which provides 80% of the performance at 40% of the cost.
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Apr 24, 2015 00:08
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$800+ Canada Goose Down parkas were completely sold out this winter and people were flipping them on the secondary market to yuppies in NYC.
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Apr 24, 2015 07:06
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I've read that something people do when having a mental break due to cold/hypothermia is that they get naked. So, if they were in soaked clothing under certain weather conditions, that's actually correct and better than being in your soaked clothes?
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Apr 25, 2015 04:54
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In case you're looking at different options: I got a Camelbak All Clear for nearly free which has been great while international vacationing, but holy poo poo I would never use that thing while backpacking. Note that if you use UV light to sterilize, it scrambles the DNA. It doesn't kill the virus. The virus can repair itself with sunlight, but I've never ever found an answer as to how long the water would need to be exposed to sunlight in order to make the water unsafe again.
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Apr 27, 2015 19:02
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Optimus Subprime posted:What size is your Gregory Baltoro 65? I may want to take it off your hands if its in ok condition. Same, if it's a long and that doesn't work for Optimus Subprime. I was putting off getting a new pack until end of year, but eh if the price is right. I was also looking at the Osprey AG packs. Then I remembered I bought a bungee pack a few years ago and hated every loving moment of it. Maybe they've come a long way since 09, but I'm skeptical.
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Apr 27, 2015 23:04
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Sierra Nevadan posted:Where did you hear this? It doesn't make any sense at all. Sunlight is UV? Sorry, I had it backwards. Bacteria can regrow in darkness. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_disinfection#Cautions Blinkman987 fucked around with this message at 00:56 on Apr 30, 2015 |
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Apr 30, 2015 00:39
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If there are ballers on a budget looking at the Hoodini, I have a Marmot DriClime windshirt that I bought for about $40. http://www.sierratradingpost.com/ma...&colorFamily=07 There's no hood, but the sleeves are sufficiently long and torso just barely long enough for me, who is very long in both places and something I find Patagonia always comes up a little short in. There's a light fleece lining on the DriClime, so maybe people feel it's a little too warm compared to the Hoodini?
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May 7, 2015 01:00
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Tried on the Houdini today. I was impressed, but also worried that I'd tear the thing within a month. The sleeves are fine, wish they were a half inch longer. I wish the body was an inch longer. I really liked it otherwise and may still buy it. My local place seems to clearance them out at $49 when the seasons change. Being long in the legs is about 1 million times easier than being long in the torso and arms.
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May 9, 2015 01:44
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slothzilla posted:I bet a good pair of Red Wings would last 30. Whites are basically indestructible. I probably wouldn't have toes on my right foot if it wasn't for a pair of whites that stopped an errant chainsaw blade. Not that I'd want to wear either unless my pack was really heavy. I was buying a pair of heritage Red Wings and the salesperson was telling me about how he backpacked and hiked through Switzerland for two weeks on those things with their like 1/16th inch cork midsole. 0_o No thanks.
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May 14, 2015 23:00
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I just bought some nikwax DWR tech wash for an old gore tex shell I own and to also reach the free shipping threshold for a SierraTP order. I see there are multiple types including a soft shell wash. Is that just gimmicky product marketing or do the types of washes actually matter?
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May 22, 2015 07:45
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I have a long body, arms and two feet of different sizes: one 11D, one 10.5 wide. I would buy multiple pairs of shoes from REI and try them at home. I would rather walk around in them at home for an evening than sit in their store. This is especially true for sandals like Chacos which depend on arch fit. A lot of stuff simply won't fit my upper body, and their merchandising is so bad that they don't have some of the basic items in store. Last time I came in to return something, they hassled me pretty bad about returning so many items. The vast majority of items I returned were new, and in the case they weren't it was stuff like a bike backlight ordered online not having a clip for the seat bag unlike every other rear light in the world. I was pretty loving irritated there and didn't feel like I should have to explain my poo poo because their system doesn't track new vs used returns. Even after I did explain, the salesperson still wouldn't let it go. This is the opposite experience that I had two years ago bringing in a Camelbak bag that had a broken clip. I just wanted to see if they had any replacement clips and instead the salesperson told me to get a new bag for replacement. I told them that was too much, but they insisted. I shop there like I do at Amazon and Nordstrom for the service. If they're not offering me that, what's the point? I can find literally everything online for cheaper. I'd rather have them fire me as a customer and give me my $20 back. Blinkman987 fucked around with this message at 23:33 on May 23, 2015 |
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May 23, 2015 23:30
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ReverendCode posted:I disagree. The word "premium" means "more than the usual, or nominal price". Also, 3 person tents are not really a fungible good. unless you mean a specific tent, by a specific manufacturer is being listed for a lot less, then there is likely a world of difference between a $550 tent, and a $250 tent. The store really does charge more than its competitors. They don't deeply discount items like other stores do, even when they hold their handful of sales. Even my locally owned B&M outdoors retailer in Costa Mesa discounts items more aggressively. They try to compete on service, and now the service is worse.
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May 24, 2015 02:57
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I understand the need for cheap bulk tech wash now. I got that Nikwax stuff that I bought exclusively to activate a coupon and they were like "Washing 3 items? Put in half this $10 bottle."
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May 31, 2015 00:03
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khysanth posted:e- There's also the Trans-Catalina Trail that takes about 4d/3n on Catalina Island. My wife and I hiked the first section of it and plan to do the whole thing in the fall or next spring. I'm headed there this summer. The girlfriend and I would like to take our hybrid bikes-- the entry-level or so Trek kind. Are there enough improved dirt roads on the island for us to travel on, or is it almost all for mountain bikes?
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Jun 2, 2015 20:26
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Gropiemon posted:Looks like you may not want to do that specific trail but there's TONS of biking on Catalina that will suit you. Thank you very much. Also, just booked a car camping trip at Pyramid Lake (LA area) that has lots of dayhiking, fishing around it. We're restricted to car camping for the sake of the doggies, but our next trip should be in the backwoods and we'll board the dogs. I also was able to convince some coworkers to come along as well, and it'll be their first time hiking. So, thanks to everyone who's answering my inane questions and helping me get into this hobby.
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Jun 3, 2015 21:49
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OSU_Matthew posted:
Some confusion there. I meant specific to these dogs. The one could outwalk/outrun us all for days, but the other gives up after 2 miles and has to be carried for the next hour. That's after he takes a dirtbath rest for 10 minutes and rubs it all over you.
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Jun 4, 2015 04:32
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Cross-posting from T&T because nobody actually goes south of Buenos Aires: About to book my December 2016 Antarctica trip on the Sea Spirit with AdventureSmith, and I was considering doing some time in Patagonia before or after. It would be a shame to travel all that way to skip it. I'm doing the Sierra Club WTC so I'll feel prepared and will at least have one real camping trip under my belt in addition to the WTC time before I leave for Argentina. Right now, I'm looking at doing the W in Tierra Del Fuego as the idea of crazy, wild winds really excites me. It's about an 8 hr bus ride from Ushuaia. Does anybody have experience with that trail or with the area in general? Do I actually need a synthetic bag as opposed to a down bag due to the everchanging weather?
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Jun 30, 2015 01:07
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Hungryjack posted:Here's a couple short films about trail running in Patagonia. It's the closest thing I could find. My dad went down there a couple years ago to do the Patagonia and Antarctiva half marathons, but he was on the CHile side of the mountains. He said it was beautiful. I'm going down there with friends next December most likely. Awesome. Thank you! OSU_Matthew posted:Unless you expect your bag to be wet, down should be fine, though it might get wet if you're sleeping up in the clouds. Just be sure to bring a very good waterproof compression sack for it. I know very little about the area, just that it can get real wet and cold up in the Andes, so I'd be very careful about preparation. Do you speak much Spanish? Otherwise getting around and following signs might be difficult, especially in a remote, rural area. That is the plan-- to do at least one big trip with my own equipment in the local backcountry in addition to smaller 1-2 night trips in prep. Unfortunately, I don't speak any Spanish but I'd hope to find some site that has other people also looking to do the same things. A co-worker flies around to places and seems to meet up with people to do extreme stuff. I'm pretty risk adverse and not too dumb, so I won't put my life at risk. But, I also really want to do things and have a hard time letting things go once I've gotten the idea in my head. So, I'll just have to find a way. Much appreciated advice from you. Thanks.
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Jul 1, 2015 03:12
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alnilam posted:I'm rain jacket / hard-shell shopping (will be used for bike commuting, hiking, and town use), and based on my price range, reviews, and trying a few things on at REI, I've narrowed it down to This may have to more with the layers than the jacket itself? Base layer > insulation layer > shell. So, base layer > light wool sweater > shell. At best, it's base layer > light sweater > fleece jacket > shell. How thick can that setup be if you're planning around using a shell?
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Jul 6, 2015 18:27
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So, cairns (pronounced like the Aussie city?) are used for navigation, to mark trails when there may be some confusion, or bad trails in the case of laying an X over one. But, some people make them everywhere because they believe in anime energy powers and Dragonball Z?
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Jul 10, 2015 06:17
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Thanks to everyone who recommended the Houdini. It's crazy hot here in CA so I'm not using it at the moment, but I used it for a good portion of June. I've booked a trip to Chile and will hike the W in Torres Del Paine in December/January. What I'm looking for is recommendations on footwear. Here's what I have now, some low-end waterproof boots: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/ch...&colorFamily=01 Will these be good enough with full gaiters for that hike? If so, will I be comfortable? My footwear lineup is not the best-- some super old Merrells and those Chaco boots, and eventually I'll get some proper footwear for down here in LA at the very least.
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Jul 28, 2015 08:51
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Rain pants-- I've been looking at some 2-layer and 3-layer shell pants for hiking in wild, wet, unpredictable weather as well as something I can wear on Antarctica in the summer. So, something that works well with layers. Everything I see is for skiing, nothing really for medium/high activity in mild weather rain. The closest I can come to is the Gore Bike Wear pants, which actually seem reasonable on Amazon.com at $130 but are likely pretty light on durability. I realize these things don't breathe for poo poo. Do people, for the most part, just not wear them during high activity if it's not freezing or has no danger of freezing (especially if they're already wearing gaiters)? If there is a danger of freezing, what do people pack? Ski pants with no lining? Blinkman987 fucked around with this message at 06:45 on Sep 26, 2015 |
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Sep 26, 2015 06:40
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I'm officially signed up for the WTC Orange County class this year. Thanks again to everyone who encouraged me to sign up a few months back. I'm excited to be more confident and self-reliant on the trails, hopefully spurring me to get out more. Prana talk- I'm solidly a 32" inseam and had problems with both pants. The issue with me was the size of the ankle opening, not the length. It's so large to begin with. From what I'm reading here, maybe the QC is loose enough on them that I tried on pairs that were larger in that area than normal?
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Jan 3, 2016 16:04
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Mokelumne Trekka posted:Anyone know if the Marmot Tamarack Jacket is a good layer for mountain hikes in the snow? I am aiming for a layer that provides warmth and keeps me dry but without being too heavy. It's $225 - bad deal? Can I get something just as good for much less? That will work. It's heavy, but fine if you like it. Hope you got it on sale. Jackets from last season looked like it was on sale this weekend in-store.
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Jan 11, 2016 05:36
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Hungryjack posted:I've heard really great things about Mountain Hardwear's Ghost Whisperer 800 fill down mid-layer. It supposedly stuffs into its own pocket down to about the size of a softball, it's ultralight (and a little fragile because of that) and Sierra Trading Post has it for under $150 with coupon code EMY16. There is also a hooded version for $10 more if that's your thing. Ugly colors though. It has a really odd cut if it's the same as last year's model-- narrow chest, tight shoulder, wide waist. I did not like it and returned it. Give it a chance, but definitely try it on first if you can. Since you're using it hiking as a midlayer, the glossy-trash-bag look shouldn't bother you too much and the durability of it shouldn't be too bad
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Jan 19, 2016 21:32
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Pryor on Fire posted:People seem to like Mountain hardwear but the two products I have owned from them fell apart so fast I haven't looked at them seriously in like 10 years. FWIW, I've had two items go bad from them in about 5 years, but they fixed them free of charge and I had them back in my possession within 6 weeks. As far as clearance gear goes, I find they're the best quality brand that also goes on deep discount.
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Jan 19, 2016 23:20
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MMD3 posted:If you live in Portland it's worth finding an employee at Columbia Sportswear to befriend so you can get their employee store discount and buy mountain hardwear stuff at 50%+ off Unfortunately I don't. That does seem amazing, though. I do have a potential line at Patagonia, but I can't seem to get it out of anybody what their employee discount actually is. Anybody know here?
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Jan 20, 2016 00:16
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I wear the Saucony Peregrine 5. http://www.rei.com/product/880443/s...mc:cse_PLA_GOOG They don't have any waterproofing, but they dry out fast.
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Jan 22, 2016 02:17
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bongwizzard posted:I have a pair of these and while they are comfy as hell, I dont find them to be quick drying at all. I do live in the humid mid atlantic coast, but I wore mine a ton this summer and they would never dry out over 3-5 hour hikes, even with a change of socks. Fair enough; I'm hiking SoCal so there's rarely water and everything dries out super fast whether it's quick drying or not.
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Jan 22, 2016 02:44
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From what I've gathered, the entire national parks system is basically America-- overworked and exhausted infrastructure from decades ago? I get that there are a lot of underutilized trails and new trails won't have a stupid book or movie about them so people won't want to do them, but the lottery stress seems so silly and needs some sort of solution. First WTC class was a joke-- pictures of places a few people have been, discussion of the "11" things which could've been read online in like 5 minutes, 30 minutes of summer-camp-introduce-yourself time, and then 20 minutes of people making jokes about how nobody agrees about boots followed by 20 more minutes of people not agreeing about boots. loving kill me. I have high hopes for the rest of the course, still. Going on my first "group" fitness hike on Saturday since I have nothing better to do and I want to gauge how I do with some of the other people in the class, self-selection aside. Idiot Newbie Question Time 3 day, 2 night hike to Mt Whitney is the end of the trip. I went to my local TNF store to spend my gift cards. I picked out these ULTRA EXTREME TWO-THOUSAND OMGGGG boots over the Chilkat II Tech boot because these provide a little wider toe box that I felt like I needed considering the thickness of the socks I was wearing. I see they're described as a hiking shoe. They have some insulation, but definitely less than Chilkat II boot that I wanted. I still should be ok with a pack filled with gear for a 3-day hike in below-freezing weather, yes? I bought - https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/mens-ultra-extreme-ii-gore-tex-cwa8 I passed on - https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/mens-chilkat-tech-boot-cdk7-c1?variationId=KZ2 I also picked up a Banchee 50L pack since it was on sale, I can return it any time, and the salesperson said I might be able to get all my winter stuff into that pack. They didn't have the 65L pack in stock, and their website is oddly hiding that pack from general search terms. I eventually found it online after the sales rep failed, but I had to do some gimmicky stuff to get to it. Obviously, I'm going to take all the stuff I need, pack it in the 50L, and see if it fits. Before I go to that trouble, am I so out of line with the expectation that my stuff all might fit that I shouldn't even try? Snow-hiking pants-- What do you do? I have some general wicking hiking pants and a pair of the Synchilla fleece pants. I have lightweight and midweight thermal bottoms coming to me. The guy at the shop recommended some stretchier pants with thermals underneath. I definitely love stretchier pants! I felt like I couldn't make a decision, so I held off on the pants until it's close to trip time. Finally, in case you didn't think my questions could get any dumber-- when hiking in general or when winter camping, do you go with fresh thermal bottoms with each day? Do you just change your underwear underneath? Do you even wear underwear underneath the bottom baselayer? When I've done my porter-assisted multi-day backpacking trips, I changed my top base layer each day but rotated between two pairs of pants. I have someone buying some thermals for me, and I want to make sure I don't have to come back to them later because I didn't buy enough. FWIW, my general plan is to sleep in my midweight ones and hike in my lightweight ones. Blinkman987 fucked around with this message at 00:44 on Jan 28, 2016 |
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Jan 28, 2016 00:32
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Thanks everyone. I'm going to stay with the goretex boots since they're the more affordable option and if I eventually like cold weather backpacking (I don't believe I will), I think I'll look at more expensive and higher quality options then as I'll have a better idea of what I like and don't like. I have a nice trip back home to Chicago coming up, so that'll be a great chance to break them in. I'm returning the 50L bag and going with a 65L option. I figure with time I'll become far better at pairing down my gear list and with that will come a lot more knowledge about exactly what I want in a bag. I picked up a Deuter Air Contact 65L for $120. It's a heavy bag at 6 lbs, but I'm a big guy, it's certainly light on the wallet, and has plenty of pockets which I like. Noted on the thermals and pants. I don't mind stinking if everyone else is. Seems like I already have what I need to get through one snow trip. If I end up liking the trip and go a few more times, I'll go take a look at softshell pants. Thanks for the heads-up on the conditioning hikes. I'll make sure to bring my compass. I'm hilariously bad at spacial and geometrical stuff, so this is a great chance to improve. I remember something in this thread a long time ago about people preparing backcountry meals in a ziplock bag, then all they had to do was boil that bag and then ate straight out of it. Was this the book people were talking about : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1411660315?ie=UTF8&tag=ultrarevie-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1411660315
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Jan 29, 2016 09:01
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For winter backpacking temperature range from 20 F to -10 F, tonight our group leader emphasized that one wants a bigger, puffier down jacket. I have the following and hoping to get away with not buying a massive down jacket that I might only use once. Patagonia r1, nano air, micro puff vest, and down sweater (sup employee discount) and a lightweight gore tex shell. I should be able to get by at night sitting around camp with some combo of those, yes? To keep stuff like your sleeping bag dry, do you trust the "waterproof" compression sacks? I was reading the "keep your critical gear dry" article online and it was hard to wrap my head around. Seemed very spergy and basically like no option was actually good, but it was also around 8 years old. Fwiw, I picked up one of these super cheap to check it out: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/granite-gear-event-sil-compression-dry-sack-18l~p~7018x/?filterString=s~waterproof-sack%2F&colorFamily=02
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Feb 3, 2016 09:49
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Hiked to Mt Lowe and back this past Saturday. It was surprisingly easy. The only physically demanding part was the final hike up to the peak from the crossroads. This peak was cool because they had those metal pipes labeled and if you looked through them, you could see all the other peaks. There were some other pipes at Inspiration Point, but the one labeled "Ostrich Farm" lied. NO OSTRICHES!!!!  I did do the entire 15mi hike on 3 hours sleep and was fine, but then devoured a burrito on my drive home, and proceeded to sleep 15 hours straight. Next up, learning scrambling at Joshua Tree. Everyone's least favorite part about the 10 essentials on a dayhike is having to carry a bivy or some rain pants/rain jacket, right? Come on, guys. Nobody's going to do that within the context with which we did our hike. Shoutout to the Houdini jacket though. Holy poo poo, I use that thing all the time and to the people who spoke to its durability-- you were right. This thing isn't made for bushwacking, but it's far more durable than one would assume just feeling the material.
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Feb 8, 2016 19:08
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 02:27 |
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Thanks. I'll try to clear that up with my group leader, whether or not they expect us to carry waterproofs. I did just in case, but the group leaders seemed reasonable enough. Never know when someone's going to be a stickler for the rules. All the leaders definitely carried 50L packs. I assume a good deal of it was water for anybody who didn't bring enough. Wind jackets are the nuts. Probably my favorite thing to wear at all times, even if it is neon green =)
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Feb 8, 2016 23:33
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